BY Mike McKenna
Hailey officially became a town in the spring of 1881, but it wasn’t until a couple years later that the heartbeat of the community really started beating.
In 1883, the Oregon Short Line Railroad first brought trains to town and, led by the Miners Union and their “500 strong members,” a Fourth of July parade was held in Hailey. The tradition of celebrating Independence Day in Hailey quickly caught on and has been happening ever since.
As Harold Mandell, who grew up Hailey in the early 1900s, wrote in an essay for the Blaine County Historical Museum, “In our town, when I was a boy, we didn’t just ‘observe’ the Fourth of July. We celebrated it … Hailey threw itself into its three-day Fourth of July celebration with great enthusiasm.”
This year marks the 140th anniversary of Hailey’s first big Fourth of July celebration and the tradition is still as strong as those 500 hardy souls who marched in the first one.
Festivities for the 2023 version of Independence Day will actually cover five full days in Hailey. Here’s a rundown of the events:
July 1:
The new Paint A Legacy 5k kicks things off on Saturday morning at 11. The family-friendly fun run will start in the dirt parking lot by Wood River High School. Sign up at DentalLegacyFoundation.org.
The 2nd Summer Kick-off Block Party will take place on N. 1st Ave., between Bullion and Carbonate streets, from 1-4 p.m. Trailhead Bicycles is spearheading the party, which will include a DJ, bike-themed contests, food trucks, kids’ games and suds from Sawtooth Brewery.
The annual Fourth of July Antique Show at Roberta McKercher Park has been a popular event for over 25 years. Over 50 vendors from throughout the Northwest will offer “something for every collector.” The Antique Show will run for three days, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday.
July 2 & 3:
The 76th Annual Sawtooth Rangers Rodeo opens the chutes on Sunday, July 2nd, for the first of three nights of rowdy action. The Fourth always sells out and in recent years so have the other two nights, so get your tickets early. There are no longer day-of event ticket sales available at the rodeo grounds. So get tickets at either your favorite Atkinsons’ Market location, at the Hailey Welcome Center or online at SawtoothRangers.org.
July 4:
Hailey’s iconic Days of the Old West Parade kicks off at high noon! Over 75 enthusiastic entrants parade down Main Street to the delight of thousands of folks of all ages from across the Wood River Valley and well beyond.
After the parade, the new Family Fun Fourth Community Event will offer kids’ games, a waterslide, a dunk tank, a pie-eating contest, food trucks and more. The event will take place from 1-4 p.m. at the Life Church at the north end of River Street.
The 9th Annual Riverfest will take place at Hop Porter Park from 1-5 p.m. Featuring top-notch live music, a car show, bouncy houses, food trucks and a Sawtooth Brewery beer garden. (Parking is tough at Hop Porter, so please consider walking or riding a bike to this event.)
Fireworks cap the Fourth festivities and light up the night sky on the east side of town, usually starting around 10 p.m. To find out more, to register for the parade or to make a donation to help the fun stuff happen, go to ValleyChamber.org.